Birdlife of Houston, Galveston, and the Upper Texas Coast

Abbreviations Used in the Text [Contains Color Plates]

abbreviations used in the text * specimen record AB American Birds AFN Audubon Field Notes (later shortened to Field Notes) AMNH American Museum of Natural History, New York ANSP Academy of Natural Science, Philadelphia A.O.U. American Ornithologists’ Union Apr April Attwater Attwater Prairie-Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado County Aug August BRA Brazoria County CBC National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count CHA Chambers County Co., cos. county, counties COL Colorado County (just west of the UTC) Dec December E east, eastern Feb February FOB Fort Bend County GAL Galveston County GCBO Gulf Coast Bird Observatory GIW Gulf Intracoastal Waterway HAS Harris County HL&P Houston Lighting and Power Company HMNS Houston Museum of Natural Science Is. island Jan January JEF Jefferson County Jul July Jun June LSUMNS Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science (uses the following specimen number prefix) LSUMZ Louisiana State University Museum of Zoology many obs. seen by many observers Mar March MNH Museum of Natural History MOGP Migration Over the Gulf Project MON Montgomery County (just north of the UTC) MUM Manchester University Museum, England N north, northern NAB North American Birds NBS Neotropical Bird Sanctuary, Quintana, Texas Nov November NWR National Wildlife Refuge Oct October ORA Orange County (just east of the UTC) pers. personally communicated to us by comm. the observer pers. obs. personal observation S south, southern SB Spoonbill (formerly Gulf Coast Migrant), published by the Ornithology Group of the Outdoor Nature Club of Houston SHSU Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas Sep September SFASU Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas SP State Park TBRC Texas Bird Records Committee of the Texas Ornithological Society TBSL Texas Bird Sounds Library at SHSU TCWC Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection, Texas A&M University, College Station TCWD Texas Colonial Waterbird Database TOS Texas Ornithological Society TPRF Texas Photo Record File, Texas A&M University, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, College Station TPWD Texas Parks and Wildlife Department TWRC Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition UMMZ University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service USNM U.S. National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. UTA University of Texas at Austin UTC Upper Texas Coast, which for the purposes of this work we define as Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Jefferson, and Waller counties VIC Victoria County (southwest of the UTC) W west, western WAR Waller County WMA Wildlife Management Area yr year Armand Bayou near Clear Lake is one of the few unaltered bayous remaining in the Houston-Galveston area. An elevated walkway for birders in High Island’s Boy Scout Woods passes through the Cathedral, a favorite gathering spot for migrant watchers. Bolivar Flats and the Galveston shipping lanes constitute an improbable conjunction of nature and industry, yet the flats rank among the most popular shorebird viewing sites in the United States. Smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), as at Bolivar Flats, is the favorite haunt of Clapper Rails and both Seaside and Nelson’s Sharp-tailed sparrows. Characteristic plant species of brackish marshes are marshhay cordgrass (Spartina patens), Gulf cordgrass (S. spartinae), and various rushes (Scirpus spp.). Birds such as Black Rail prefer this coastal habitat. The stretch of coast between the Brazos and San Bernard rivers is accreting sediment. Extensive dunes and driftwood at the Brazos River mouth provide shelter for species such as Wilson’s and Snowy plovers. Marshes characterized by cattail (Typha), bulrushes (Scirpus), rushes (Juncus), and reeds (Phragmites) attract freshwater bird species such as Least Bittern, Marsh Wren, and Common Yellowthroat. West Galveston Bay attracts countless loons, waterfowl, gulls, and terns to its rich shallow waters. The coastal marshes near High Island extend virtually unbroken along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway northeast to the Sabine River. The absence of trees and shrubs in this coastal “hiatus” concentrates migrants in the few woodlands, such as at High Island and Sabine Woods. The Smith family planted the first live oaks (Quercus virginiana) at High Island more than a century ago. Bushy bluestem (Andropogon glomeratus) is one of the dominant grasses on the Katy Prairie and in the region. Bluestem grasslands are important habitats for species such as Grasshopper and LeConte’s sparrows. Palmetto (Sabal minor) swamps are excellent habitat for American Woodcock and breeding Prothonotary and Swainson’s warblers. Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forest once extended across East Texas from the Sabine River to Houston. Birds...